Charleston, South Carolina 72-Hour Vacation

Start the day with a hearty southern breakfast at Dixie Supply Bakery & Café in a deceptively nondescript store front on State Street. Tuck into fluffy biscuits, shrimp and grits, thick bacon and tomato pie. If you're too full to walk, hail a pedicab, mostly pedaled by college students, or take the short jaunt to the Edmondston-Alston House on East Bay along the Battery. It's one of several immaculately preserved house museums on the peninsula, but the only one in which the descendants still live (on the top floor that is not included on the tour). At one time, this was the townhouse for the owners of Middleton Place, so you may secure an admission to both sites with a single ticket.

Rue de Jean

When the stomach starts to growl again, stroll north past galleries and eateries until you reach Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar. Take a seat near the large windows and order up fresh seafood and shrimp corndogs. The calamari will make you thankful, and the she-crab soup might elicit a "hallelujah."

If you've parked the car for the weekend, hail a green taxi, from a fleet of hybrid vehicles, and head to Boone Hall Plantation east of the Cooper River. Explore the grounds and the re-fitted slave cabins that are now interpretive centers documenting the African Americans journey from slave days to present day. Boone Hall Farms sells produce grown on the plantation and is worth a visit—especially during strawberry season.

Sweetgrass baskets

For supper, make reservations at Graze, located just six miles south of Boone Hall. At this hot-spot for eclectic casual dining, the complexity of each bite belies the simple preparation of each dish, as the freshest ingredients star in a seasonal menu.

Enjoy a romantic evening by foregoing the traditional landlocked hotel room and, through Ocean Sailing Academy, arrange an overnight skippered charter to sail out to a remote island, perhaps behind Sullivan's Island—or maybe stay closer and moored at Patriots Point near the USS Yorktown. The entire package can include a sunset sail, dinner, privacy aboard your own boat for the night and breakfast. If you want wine with dinner, bring your own. The cost depend on what is included, but the full package is priced at $765 per night per couple.